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Steve Hochstadt

Steve Hochstadt is a writer and an emeritus professor of history at Illinois College.

  • Jun 24, 2020

    Has Something Finally Changed?

    by Steve Hochstadt

    Both aggressive corporate responses to prejudiced action by their employees and sympathy for Black Lives Matter protests in conservative towns suggest that, at least potentially, big change is afoot in America. 

  • Jun 10, 2020

    He Is Crazy

    by Steve Hochstadt

    Trump repeating the theory that an elderly protestor was an ANTIFA agent shows the weakness of his judgment and his dangerous political desperation.

  • Jun 3, 2020

    Are Republicans Nasty People?

    by Steve Hochstadt

    A talk radio ethos that puts provocation above understanding and ideological rigidity over cooperation has become the core of the Republican Party. This is not a good thing. 

  • May 31, 2020

    Things Have Been Worse

    by Steve Hochstadt

    The broad anti-left political campaigns associated with Joseph McCarthy should remind us that pursuing justice requires courage. 

  • May 13, 2020

    Ideology Versus Life

    by Steve Hochstadt

    A recent report in the New York Times lists every environmental regulation overturned or attacked by the current administration, painting a picture of an ideology that puts profit ahead of life. 

  • Apr 26, 2020

    The Crystal Ball is Broken

    by Steve Hochstadt

    Only one thing is clear – recovery to “normal life” will take a long time, well beyond the end of 2020.

  • Mar 20, 2020

    Political Labels Aren't Helping

    by Steve Hochstadt

    The uselessness of labels has been demonstrated most forcefully by Trump’s presidency and his takeover of the Republican Party.

  • Feb 27, 2020

    The Day After the South Carolina Debate

    by Steve Hochstadt

    The Nevada debate made me uncomfortable. The South Carolina debate was hard for me to watch. The danger that has accompanied the months of campaigning and debates so far, that these varied and talented Democrats would kill each other off, was apparent.

  • Feb 18, 2020

    Trump the Great and Powerful

    by Steve Hochstadt

    It is not surprising that a president so unconcerned about Constitutional norms would try to add to his powers. It is disturbing and dangerous that the Republican Party as a body supports Trump going far beyond what they harshly denounced just a few years ago.

  • Feb 13, 2020

    What a Mess in Iowa

    by Steve Hochstadt

    Any candidate whose support lies with more progressive urban voters is at a significant disadvantage. A progressive Democrat could beat Trump handily and still lose.

  • Feb 5, 2020

    Can We Save the Truth?

    by Steve Hochstadt

    There is a great irony that the political conservatism, which once argued for objective truth, now relies on the broadest attack on truth that we have ever experienced.

  • Jan 22, 2020

    Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream and Legacy

    by Steve Hochstadt

    Two authors of distinguished books on the history of race in America just wrote articles for the New York Times for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Michelle Alexander and Richard Rothstein's articles help us understand the status of Martin Luther King's dream today. 

  • Jan 16, 2020

    Winnowing the Democratic Field

    by Steve Hochstadt

    Twenty-eight Democrats put their names in to run for President. Now only 12 are left, most of whom have little chance. Why have some candidates survived, while others had to drop out?

  • Jan 5, 2020

    The Tea Party Revisited

    by Steve Hochstadt

    The Tea Party no longer needs to attack the Republican Party from the right. They are the Republican Party.

  • Jan 5, 2020

    Profiles in Courage and Cowardice

    by Steve Hochstadt

    The great majority of young House Democrats who face difficult re-election campaigns in Trump districts acted courageously.

  • Dec 19, 2019

    The Future is Unpredictable: Embrace It

    by Steve Hochstadt

    I don’t recommend either optimism or pessimism, but rather openness to the unplanned, willingness to deal with the accidental, readiness to adapt or abandon well-formulated plans to new information.

  • Nov 26, 2019

    Curing Ourselves with Fred Rogers

    by Steve Hochstadt

    Instead of stressing about Trump’s latest idiocy or the decline of American politics, about which we can do very little, we could try to emulate Mr. Rogers. We could see the world as an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives and devote our energies to doing that.